We all say we want to live a healthy life, but do we really mean it?
Yes, the idea of living to an old age with no illnesses to worry about is a nice one, but it requires a lot of hard work along the way.
Doing the bare minimum and failing to put in the required effort won’t produce the desired results.
Of course, there are no guarantees that you’ll be able to stay away from certain types of illnesses. They creep up on all of us, regardless of how healthy we perceive ourselves to be. But, that doesn’t have to be the end of it. There are many ways to not only take control of your health but also regain that control after an illness. Let’s go through a number of examples today.
Doing The Basics
Living a healthy and balanced lifestyle is a fairly simple task on paper. Many of the seemingly basic requirements are actually very difficult for a lot of people to adhere to. However, with a bit of willpower and a desire to stay healthy, they are all very achievable.
It’s time to ditch those fizzy drinks as often as possible, and replace them with water. Good ole’ H20 is the best thing you could be drinking at all times. It’s no surprise that water is vital to our bodies to keep them working properly. Those nights down the pub won’t help either, so try and refrain from putting too much alcohol in your system. I’m not saying you need to give up altogether, but moderation is the key. You can’t live a healthy lifestyle if you’re constantly guzzling down the booze.
You obviously need to consider the way you’re eating as well. Think about adding things like salads, vegetables and plenty of fruit into your diet. The more fatty foods (especially containing saturated fats) you can stay away from, the better. The best thing about healthy foods is that they make you feel fuller for longer. While a burger from McDonalds might satisfy your hunger for a short period of time, a fruit salad will do the same for a vastly superior time-span.
The basics include doing exercise. Current recommendations for exercise per day is around 30 minutes. Of course, you can do more than that if you want to, but know your limitations and don’t go over-the-top. Many of us spend hours sitting at desks during the working day, but that still doesn’t mean you can’t do some exercise now and again. Go for a walk every now and again, or simply stroll around the office a few times if you have to. Anything helps, so don’t neglect this crucial element, or your health will suffer.
Finally, sleep is an important one. You could be doing all the necessary exercise and healthy eating you need to be doing, but are you allowing your body to get the rest it needs? I’m betting the answer is “no”, and the cause of this is usually due to working too hard. There’s a temptation to only get five or six hours of sleep at night, but this isn’t sufficient for your body to heal up. You can’t expect to push it so hard if you aren’t going to give it a chance to recover. Your body needs rest; so don’t deny it that basic necessity.
Strategic Thinking
Doing the basics is a great start towards a healthy lifestyle. However, you need to think smartly when it comes to your body. Just because you want to exercise a little longer every day, doesn’t mean it’s doing you any good. Moderation is, once again, the key word here. By overdoing it, especially in the early stages, your body won’t thank you for that extra exercise. It’ll ache even more than it should do, and it could eventually suffer from serious problems. The most important thing about exercise is that you’re doing it regularly. Having days off and only doing as much as you can handle is equally as important.
The same goes for food, and even water! A balanced diet is just that – balanced. Don’t be tempted to eat just one thing, or gulp down far too much water for your body to handle. You also don’t need to be scared to eat and drink the things you love. A lot of people have an idea that healthy living is somewhat “boring”. That doesn’t have to be the case, so try and put that preconceived notion out of your mind.
One of the best ways to start thinking strategically is to put a plan together. It’s difficult to keep track of what you’re eating and how much you’re exercising. This is especially the case if you’re a workaholic, and you never know whether you’re coming or going! There are lots of plan templates online, or you could simply make a healthy living diary for yourself to help keep track. As long as you’re aware of how much you’re doing, you should find it much easier to manage your daily routines.
You’ve also got to think about your commitment levels. If you absolutely hate running, but that’s what you’re doing as an exercise routine, then why are you doing it?! This is the most common way for people to give up their healthy living lifestyles. You can only force yourself to do something for so long if you don’t really enjoy it. Find something you like to do, whether it’s playing football with friends or going swimming. The best exercise never feels like a chore, so if it does, you’re doing something wrong.
Of course, there are ways to make the activity feel even more fun than usual. Nowadays, you can find all sorts of mobile apps to help you along the way. I’ve always enjoyed the Zombie Run app from https://play.google.com/store/. Disguising a fitness program as an interactive story is a really clever idea, and it certainly gave me the motivation to keep going. That’s only me, though. Everyone has a different way of exercising and getting the most out of any activity. Find what does it for you, and put measures in place to ensure it never starts to become boring.
Getting Back On Track
Alright, let’s say things have taken a turn for the worst. Whether you’ve been living healthily or not up to this point, there’s a chance you might have some kind of illness or injury. Some of us are born with them, and some of us simply can’t prevent them from appearing. Despite this, we can work past them and continue to live a healthy lifestyle going forward.
Of course, the first thing you need to do is research the illness/injury and figure out how to manage it. For example, people with swallowing disorders can buy thickened nutritional products from www.ThickIt.com/products/beverages/. Alternatively, for those who are confined to a wheelchair, there are many ways to keep active and as healthy as possible. At this stage, the most important thing you can do is research your illness or injury and understand it as best you can. By doing this, you’ll come across all sorts of solutions that you probably otherwise unaware of.
Another thing you must do in this case is to accept your condition. In some cases, particularly when it comes to severe illnesses, it’s very difficult to accept. The desire to sink into a corner and question “why me?!” is a powerful one, and no one would blame you for doing it. However, you can’t allow yourself to think that way if you want to try and regain control of your health. You must be willing to fight it, or you’ll be back to doing the bare minimum as a result. Don’t be tempted to go back to unhealthy ways, and keep pushing on! The effort you put in now, might just extend or even save your life!
Never underestimate the importance of friends and family if illnesses and injuries are taking over. They are crucial for giving you the strength to continue living in a healthy manner. It’s only natural to feel sad and unhappy, but those closest to you can be a huge influence without you even realizing it. Don’t be afraid to ask them for a bit of company or to go and visit them. It’s amazing what a positive mental attitude can do for your overall well-being.
Let’s wrap this up. Whether you’re fit and healthy already, feeling overweight, or you’ve been a diagnosed with an illness, there is hope for you yet! Use our tips to help control your health in the future, but don’t overdo it! Don’t push your body too hard or give it an overabundance of what it needs. Positive forward steps are all that matters, even if they’re only small! It’s much better than sitting on the sofa, watching TV and wishing you were healthier than you are. Start making changes to your lifestyle today, and you’ll be amazed at the health benefits as a result.
